Torrington Irish pub won’t be open by St. Patrick’s Day due to family emergency

O’Connor’s Public House won’t be open for St. Patrick’s Day

By
Esteban L. Hernandez, Register Citizen

Monday, March 10, 2014

TORRINGTON >> The opening of the city’s new Irish pub is being pushed back and won’t be open until sometime after St. Patrick’s Day.

O’Connor’s Public House had eyed a St. Patrick’s Day opening for its newest location on 26 East Main St., but co-owner Gary O’Connor said Monday the date has been pushed back due to a family emergency. O’Connor co-owns the pub with his brother, Bobby.

O’Connor is actually headed back to Ireland Tuesday to take care of family business.

“We had an unexpected delay for family reasons so will be opening at the end of this month,” O’Connor said. “We don’t have a final date yet.”

The latest the pub would open is early April, O’Connor said.

Remodeling of the site that once housed Tequila’s and Dick’s Restaurant is mostly complete, O’Connor said, and now the only thing needed to complete the pub’s establishment is building inspections and permit approvals.

City Planner Martin Connor said Monday that the two brothers told him about their situation and had been traveling back and forth from Ireland. The brothers told him they were behind schedule on opening the restaurant but did apply for a zoning permit for outdoor seasonal sidewalk dining in front of their pub.

“That will be a welcome addition to making our city more vibrant and pedestrian friendly,” Connor said.

The pub will serve traditional meals including Irish breakfast served throughout the day.

The pub has five other locations in the U.S., including New Milford and Brookfield, with an original location in Muskerry Arms, Ireland. O’Connor said the original pub was built 30 years ago in the village near the iconic Blarney Castle, a popular tourist spot.

O’Connor said he and his brother decided to open the pub in Torrington because the town has no Irish pubs. He said they’re delighted to come to town.

“That was one of the reasons,” O’Connor said. “We thought the town should have an Irish bar. We felt it was time.”

The pub’s location was also attractive, as O’Connor said the proximity to the Warner Theatre is intriguing as he hopes people coming out of shows there could flow into the pub.

“There are some great shows going on there and we might be able to catch some of that,” O’Connor said.

The pub will also double as a sports bar, as O’Connor said he plans to install nine high-definition televisions. Live music will be available as well.

“We want it to be a fun place to be,” O’Connor said. “We are looking forward to meeting the local people of this town and giving them a taste of Ireland,” O’Connor said.